<10 cities where homes sit on the market the longest (and here, it takes an average of 188 days to get an offer)Plus, where homes get offers the fastest
By Andrew Shilling
Updated: May 21, 2025 at 1:10?p.m. ET
 Photo: Getty Images
High home prices aren’t sidelining buyers in some cities. In the 10 markets where offers came in the fastest — as few as 16 days in some cases — prices averaged close to than the national median sales price of $416,900. Meanwhile, among the 10 markets that take the longest for sellers to receive an offer, Zillow data through April 30 show the average home value was just $294,493.
So why are listings in some of the more expensive markets selling so quickly? “It all begins with supply and demand,” says Bankrate senior economic analyst Mark Hamrick. Indeed, buying and selling frenzies are most often found in places where there’s also more economic or job opportunity, entertainment and more, which creates more demand, explains Adam Pretorious, real estate agent in Iowa City, Iowa. (See some of the best mortgage rates here, from our partner Bankrate.)
In some markets, that high demand has met constrained supply. Overall, while housing inventory has increased recently since a 10-year low in February 2022, active listing count in the U.S. is still down nearly 34% over the past decade, according to St. Louis Fed figures.
Others, meanwhile, have extreme housing shortages, especially of affordable homes. “We still don’t have an abundance of homes that are affordable to low- and moderate-income households, and the progress that we’ve seen is not happening everywhere,” Realtor.com Chief Economist Danielle Hale said in a recent National Association of Realtors report. “It’s been concentrated in the Midwest and the South.”
What’s more, Pretorious says the longer homes take to get an offer, the more embedded the waiting game can become in a given market. “Most buyers shop emotionally, and they associate value with how long a home has been sitting,” he says, adding that buyers “rarely remember the original price, but they absolutely remember the days on market.”
For anyone currently active in the housing market, especially in regions that stagnate or flourish more than others, Hamrick says buying and selling trends in either direction all rely on one critical factor: the economy. “In a highly uncertain environment, buyers should take extra care to be confident that they’re making the right move regarding what is ultimately the most consequential — expensive — transaction in their lifetime,” says Hamrick. “Shop around for the best mortgage rate and remember that you’ll have unforeseen expenses that will require expenditures going toward repair, and ultimately renovation if they’re in the home long enough.”
10 housing markets with the slowest selling paceMarkets that take the longest for a listing to pend can stagnate as much as 188 days. On the other hand, all of the 10 markets where listings go the quickest are getting offers in less than a month, according to Zillow data.
Here are the 10 housing markets in the U.S. where homes spent the most time on the market before getting an offer, according to Zillow data. All data is as of April 30.
 Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
1. Port Lavaca, TexasDays on the market: 188
Average home value: $183,276
1-year value change: -0.3%
For sale inventory: 138
 Photo: Getty Images
2. Ruidoso, N.M.Days on the market: 130
Average home value: $345,376
1-year value change: -3.6%
For sale inventory: 200
 Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
3. Key West, Fla.Days on the market: 126
Average home value: $1,070,893
1-year value change: -4.2%
For sale inventory: 390
 Photo: Getty Images
4. Elk City, Okla.Days on the market: 124
Average home value: $161,026
1-year value change: +6%
For sale inventory: 99
 Photo: Getty Images
5. Del Rio, TexasDays on the market: 122
Average home value: $211,101
1-year value change: +2.5%
For sale inventory: 239
 Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
6. Lake Charles, La. (tie)Days on the market: 120
Average home value: $200,842
1-year value change: -2.5%
For sale inventory: 569
 Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
6. Clewiston, Fla. (tie)Days on the market: 120
Average home value: $245,944
1-year value change: -0.4%
For sale inventory: 121
 Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
6. Macomb, Ill. (tie)Days on the market: 120
Average home value: $109,223
1-year value change: -1.8%
For sale inventory: 90
 Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
9. Victoria, TexasDays on the market: 118
Average home value: $214,048
1-year value change: +0.7%
For sale inventory: 403
 Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
10. Bay City, TexasDays on the market: 117
Average home value: $203,219
1-year value change: +2.8%
For sale inventory: 170
10 housing markets that get offers the fastestHere are the 10 housing markets in the U.S. that spent the least amount of time on the market before a sale, according to Zillow data.
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1. Manchester, N.H. (tie)Days on the market: 16
Average home value: $429,818
1-year value change: +4.2%
For sale inventory: 114
 Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
1. Concord, N.H. (tie)Days on the market: 16
Average home value: $434,628
1-year value change: +5.5%
For sale inventory: 41
 Photo: Getty Images
3. Rochester, N.Y. (tie)Days on the market: 17
Average home value: $230,948
1-year value change: +6.3%
For sale inventory: 537
 Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
3. Lancaster, Penn. (tie)Days on the market: 17
Average home value: $370,281
1-year value change: +3.7%
For sale inventory: 560
 Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
5. Bloomington, Ill. Days on the market: 18
Average home value: $256,547
1-year value change: +7.4%
For sale inventory: 142
 Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
6. Hartford, Conn. Days on the market: 19
Average home value: $196,649
1-year value change: +7.5%
For sale inventory: 73
 Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
7. San Jose, Calif. (tie)Days on the market: 21
Average home value: $1,530,735
1-year value change: +5.3%
For sale inventory: 1,197
 Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
7. Rockford, Ill. (tie)Days on the market: 21
Average home value: $165,821
1-year value change: +9.0%
For sale inventory: 298
 Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
7. Cortland, N.Y. (tie)Days on the market: 21
Average home value: $187,860
1-year value change: +4.2%
For sale inventory: 39
 Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
10. York, Penn. Days on the market: 23
Average home value: $268,519
1-year value change: +5.3%
For sale inventory: 304>
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